This Chart Shows An Alarming Rise In Florida Gun Deaths After 'Stand Your Ground' Was Enacted

In light of
the recent trial of Michael Dunn, Reuters has published a
graphic showing a dramatic spike in Florida murders by firearm
after the "stand your ground" law was enacted in 2005.

Dunn is a white man who shot at a car full of black teenagers
during an argument over loud music in that state.

While the law
wasn't invoked specifically in his trial, critics of "stand
your ground" say it increases violence in public places because
it justifies "deadly force" and doesn't require people to run
away if they think they're in danger.

Reuters

Gun deaths in Florida started out high in the 1990s (when
crime was higher everywhere in America) and gradually
declined throughout the decade and into the 2000s. Then, in 2005,
when the stand your ground law was enacted, murders involving
firearms spiked by more than 200 in two years.

A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is
attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has
no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground
and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she
reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or
great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent
the commission of a forcible felony.

In other states without stand your ground provisions, people must
usually attempt to flee before using deadly force. These states
are known as "duty to
retreat" states.

There's some disagreement about whether stand your ground laws
lead to increased gun deaths. Some researchers point out that
states with stand your ground laws tend to see an increase in
homicides after the law is enacted, NPR
reports. But
McClatchy D.C. reports that the evidence is mixed,
noting that not every state that has passed a "stand your ground"
law has seen an uptick in homicides.

Note: BI reader P.A.
Fedewa created an easier-to-read version of the above chart
from Reuters. It more clearly shows that gun deaths increased
between 2005 and 2007 by flipping the y-axis. We're adding it to
this post with his permission. The original chart and graphic
design was done by Reuters.